Lawsuit leaves large gas storage fields in Kansas unregulated

[ensho]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/10/03/125967/lawsuit-leaves-large-gas-storage.html


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He's a former oil- and gas-field worker who helped lay the foundations for a mammoth underground gas storage operation three miles from his home; he lost a friend in a gas explosion in Texas; and he well remembers 10 years ago when gas escaped from underground storage and blew up in Hutchinson, 40 miles northeast of Cunningham, killing an elderly couple.

Knox says it's unsettling to know that because of a federal court decision last year, neither the state nor federal governments are inspecting the gas field near his home, or others holding thousands of times the amount of gas that caused havoc in Hutchinson.

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Since the federal district court in Topeka struck down Kansas gas-safety laws last year, 11 underground storage sites with a capacity of more than 270 billion cubic feet of gas have gone uninspected for 18 months, according to state officials.

The state can't inspect them.

The federal government has chosen not to.

As a result, thousands of Kansans live on and around uninspected gas-storage fields that dwarf the system that caused the Hutchinson disaster.

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insanity

in the blink of an eye

[Angry Dragon]

1. ..................

:nuke:

[benld74]

2. Gee, I wonder if lobbyists were involved,,,,

[enough]

3. It's okay, the local churches can send out teams of volunteers. (nt)

[DURHAM D]

4. Thanks for posting.

Several members of my family live in that part of the world, including in Hutchinson. They are all Republicans and for some reason have great faith that both the government and the gas companies are doing the right thing.